General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms AbstractRoad traffic accidents (RTAs) are a common cause of death and injury in domestic cats, and a concern to many owners. This study assessed potential risk factors for RTAs in cats up to 12 months of age within a UK cat cohort known as 'The Bristol Cats Study'. Data were obtained from three questionnaires, completed by cat owners when their cats were approximately 8-16 weeks old, six months old and 12 months old. Information was gathered regarding environmental conditions, cat characteristics and owner management factors. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess associations between these factors and RTAs. Of 1264 eligible study cats, 49 (3.9%) had been involved in an RTA, of which 71.4% (35/49) were known to result in fatal injuries. Rural locations were associated with a higher odds of RTAs than towns, cities or suburban locations. An increased odds of an RTA was also associated with cats that were reported by their owners to hunt at the roadside, as well as cats whose owners classified the road by their house as being a 'long straight section of road'. No significant associations were found between coat colour, breed, sex or neuter status and the odds of an RTA.

We utilize real-time scattering techniques to examine the mesoscopic and molecular response of a nonionic surfactant hexagonal mesophase to shear and extensional flows. These results are correlated with the rheological response in simple shear. During shear there is an initial modest orientation of the surfactant rods along the flow direction. This is followed by a progressive further increase in alignment over the next 500 shear units. This process of rod alignment corresponds to the progressive development of shear thinning, which might be anticipated from molecular theories developed for liquid crystalline polymer systems (LCPs). It is surprising, however, that equilibrium requires such large strains, not seen in LCPs, possibly due to a unique feature of the surfactant mesophase: the ability to rupture under stress and reform. This long structure induction time has clear implications for conventional rheology, which may rarely reach an equilibrium response. By contrast, in an extensional flow the orientation is achieved much faster, over about two strain units, and is much more perfect (P 2 ∼ 0.9). Threads spun are stable, which may point to extensional thickening. It is likely that in real flows, relevant to industrial applications, it is the response to extensional components of the flow (such as convergent channels, flow around obstacles, bifurcations) which dominates the behavior of the mesophase.